By
Dr Roger Charlton & Dr Peter Tischer.
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Roger is talking to his brother Neil, who's back for another episode. This time they look into ways of measuring the quality of university teaching, the approach taken in the UK and potential problems affecting the "measuring process". Can the results of such an inquiry really be unbiased? The TEF project Read up here on the TEF, the "Teaching Excellence Framework" currently being established in the UK

138 episodes available.
A new episode about every
16 days
averaging 6 mins duration
.

You may have recognised the title as a modified version of the saying "Think before you speak!" We have changed it into a good piece of advice for English learners, based on what today's guest tells Roger about her research on phonetics for foreign learners of English. Pronunciator Oh, and if you wonder after listening... Yes the word really ex ...…

Heike is back with Roger for a more detailed look into gender studies. They are discussing what this particular field of social sciences is about, who does and who maybe should study it, and what aspects there are in terms of research topics and interdisciplinary facets. The UdS Gender Studies Certificate If you want to read up on Saarland Univ ...…

This time Roger invited Heike, an expert for gender studies. She is going to explain to us, how the term gender evolved from a mere grammatical phenomenon to what may very well be the most discussed topic of social and linguistic sciences in the last decades. We'll hear about many facets: From the influential heads that started the discussion u ...…

Peter is back in jazzy 2018 for another episode with Saul Rubin, his guitar teacher from New York. Today Peter asks about the jargon of Jazz music and how that differs from other styles' vocabulary. Talking about music is not an easy task afterall. Finally, Saul can solve the mystery of the Real Book's name for Peter. Just listen in to learn ho ...…

You probably remember our Christmas specials about holiday traditions and music from the past years. This December we thought we'd make music our topic again (this time as a regular episode) with a focus on some music vocabulary. Peter's guest today is Saul Rubin, a renowned Jazz guitar player from New York. Saul tells Peter about the special f ...…

Roger and Neil continue their discussion of the "Teaching Excellence Framework" that has been established in England and Wales to judge the quality of teaching in higher education. Neil illustrates how increasing competition between education institutions can turn out rather problematic, and Roger adds how he thinks it unlikely that something s ...…

Roger is talking to his brother Neil, who's back for another episode. This time they look into ways of measuring the quality of university teaching, the approach taken in the UK and potential problems affecting the "measuring process". Can the results of such an inquiry really be unbiased? The TEF project Read up here on the TEF, the "Teaching ...…

After last episode's discussion about cultural values in fixed expressions, our two hosts return to a topic they've already delved into a long while ago: Proverbs. Peter mentions a new cool proverb that he's come across but Roger reminds him, that proverbs in general are really not that frequent in language. But Peter doesn't give up on his fav ...…

Did you ever wonder where the Rolling Stones got their name from? Peter did and asked Roger about it. Roger suspects it's derived from an English language expression, which he explains to Peter. That explanation leads to a discussion about how much of a culture's value system is reflected in its language, expressions and proverbs.…

Last time we dealt with culturally specific concepts that do not easily translate, because they are missing their counterparts in other languages. This time our two hosts find a bunch of peculiar things in the American school system, that don't exist in Germany and - to some extent - are also foreign to Brits.…

When Peter arrives late for the recording of this episode he has a very good excuse: He was looking for a word. A word that doesn't exist. You wonder how that's possible and why Peter still made it for the recording? Well, Roger saves him some of the trouble. Listen in now...By ropecast@szsb.uni-saarland.de.

We are back with David Erent and English as a lingua franca. David and Peter are going to look at how the use of English outside of its native territories affects other languages and speaker communities such as the French, the Finns, and the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland.By ropecast@szsb.uni-saarland.de.

French? - Finnish? - Swedish? - Arabic? - Hungarian? - Croatian? - I thought we were here to learn English? We are indeed! And today's guest, David Erent from Helsinki, is going to explain to Peter and to you how English comes into play to resolve the truly Babylonian confusion in his life.By ropecast@szsb.uni-saarland.de.

As promised last time, Neil Charlton is back to explain what happened in this year's general elections in Britain. Peter wants to know what factors played the biggest role for the surprising results they had.By ropecast@szsb.uni-saarland.de.

Does that title ring a bell? Yes, we are referring back to our special episode number ten that we recorded on -the day after- Britain voted to leave the EU. Today Neil Charlton is back, almost exactly a year after those events, and he is telling us about BrExit reality today. Peter wants to know if people have realised what this decision really ...…

While our last two episodes dealt with the specific vocabulary for bakery products in Britain and the United States, Roger and Peter are looking into a figurative use of these words in proverbs, idioms and other fixed expressions this time. Would you believe us if we told you this episode is really the icing on the cake of the current mini-seri ...…

Roger and Peter are looking into bakery products again, while focussing on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean this time. Peter explains to Roger how Americans tackle the bread and butter issue. Cereals This web page offers additional information on the topic of grains and cereals. Read this to prepare for some serious shopping and baking.…

Peter is hungry. So he takes the liberty to eat away at a croissant while recording. This gets our two hosts involved in a conversation about the peculiarities of British bakery products, and Peter learns a lot about scones and cream tea, buttered crumpets, buns and pasties. Do you know what all of these are? Just listen to this episode.…

Roger received some feedback by other native speakers concerning his usage of the word soccer: They sad he wasn't using proper English (as in British) English there. But Roger being the experienced linguist did some thorough research on the topic and is now sharing the insights he gained...By ropecast@szsb.uni-saarland.de.

This episode's title refers to a remark that Roger made in episode 100. Today our two hosts are elaborating on why using dictionaries can be problematic and what exactly Roger had in mind. Of course, they will also let you know how to avoid the worst trouble. 13. More than words This is the first episode in an earlier mini-series, where we reco ...…

No, we have not switched to binary language, and April the 1st is only tomorrow. This is really all about the meaning of the number 101. Our 101st episode is all dealing with its rather peculiar ordinal. And it can mean quite different things, depending on its cultural background. 1984 Read up on the novel mentioned and learn about its even wid ...…

This is a very special episode for three reasons: ▸ First of all, it's our 100th. ▸ Then its the first that we have video-taped in front of a live audience. ▸ And lastly, it's special because we received an award. What award that is and how to translate the respective terminology into English is our topic for this RoPeCast. We also want to than ...…

Again, Roger and Peter are looking into metaphors for time. Peter noticed that time is not always money in the English language and together they try to put things into frame for you. And more questions arise out of this ... Is time linear? No, this is not about physics - it's culture, really, and economy!…

Do you know what a metaphor is? And if you do, do you know how important a role metaphors play in everyday language? They are really worth investing some time into: If you know the central metaphors of a culture and language, a lot of words and phrases revolving around those central concepts can be logically explained and then memorised a lot m ...…

No, this is not about Karl Marx! Instead we are thinking about how teaching and learning can be more effective and more fun for both the teacher and the student. Based on what we read in "The gardener and the carpenter" we conclude this double episode with thoughts on how things need to change for and between teachers and learners.…

One of Roger's book recommendations "The Gardener and the Carpenter" was picked up by Peter recently and so the two start thinking about a language teacher's gardening and woodworking - figuratively speaking. And so Roger recounts some experiences with English teachers he visited at school and tells us what he thinks made a great language class.…

Roger and Peter are glad to welcome you to a new year of RoPeCast and English learning opportunities. To start off with, they make another new year's resolution concerning tips for teachers. Peter then starts with a tip for people into training their own or their students' presentation skills: When it comes to rhetoric, watch and learn from pre ...…

Time for a very short summary of the past twelve months and some new year's resolutions. It's just a few days before New Year's Eve. Your RoPeCast team wishes you and your loved ones all the best for 2017. Stay tuned!By ropecast@szsb.uni-saarland.de.

This episode concludes our pre-Christmas series of book recommendations with comics respectively graphic novels. Peter has brought a selection of his favourites: Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons: Watchmen A group of somewhat different superheroes has to deal with a murder case at the brink of World War III. David Small: Stitches The son of an X-ray do ...…

We're back already - as promised - with the third installment of pre-Christmas book recommendations for your personal wish- or shopping-lists. Roger is back with some really interesting non-fiction works, and of course Peter has one to add from his shelf. Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run The autobiography of the Boss. "'nuff said!" Daniel Kahnema ...…

We are back with the next batch of our Christmas book recommendations. Sylke Loew is in the studio to share her expertise on today's genre: Crime stories. Have a look at her recommendations: Alexander McCall Smith: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency A middle-aged lady in Botswana opens a detective agency and helps people deal with their problem ...…

This year - instead of broadcasting one long Christmas special - we decided to produce a special mini-series dealing with book recommendations that could inspire some of your Christmas shopping. In each episode we will pick out one particular genre of novels. This time we're looking into fantasy stories. Our guest is Christoph Klein, who brings ...…

It really does feel like the BrExit vote all over again - For the second time in a year, the decision of voters has led to a more than surprising and unsettling result. Peter and his special guest David Nott from Iowa discuss how Donald Trump was able to be elected the 45th US president - and what this may mean for the future of "God's Own Coun ...…

Have you also wondered how the American people came to choose between two presidential candidates who are both rather unpopular? Who voted for them in the first place? In this episode you get an inside view on how the system of the American primaries works. 26. Vote till you drop - the U.S. electoral system Listen also to this episode if you wa ...…

A candid(ate) special! Listen in to the plans we have for our podcast in the coming months. To fully appreciate the contents of this episode you may want to watch it on YouTube.By ropecast@szsb.uni-saarland.de.

In this third and last instalment of our mini-series on English gardens, Roger and his guest Peter bring their account of English gardening history to the modern day. Apart from learning about new interesting gardens, "gardeners" and concepts, three important societies are presented, that care for public gardens in the United Kingdom. In other ...…

And we're back with more insights on English gardens. Roger and his guest Peter (again not our host of the same name), continue looking at what makes a park and garden typically English. This time they talk about the later elements of the typical English landscape garden, leading to the reintroduction of formal elements in the Victorian age. Wi ...…

You probably know box trees: Small and hard leaved trees that are often used to create shaped bushes or symmetric hedges in many green areas around the world. Romans were already quite fond of them, when they created the first instances of what we call 'gardens' today. Roger's guest is an expert on English gardens and together they look into wh ...…

... these are by far not the only things students in the United Kingdom are concerned with, but they may play a little role for some as you will learn. In this episode Roger and his guest conclude the series on Bristol by having a look at university life in Bristol or the U.K. in general. What are the peculiarities of British courses and how do ...…

We are continuing our topic from last episode: The city of Bristol. This time we focus more on the current conditions and what makes Bristol an attractive place to visit or live in. Learn about the central feature of the city: Diversity! Be it the eateries in Gloucester Road and elsewhere, the music scene or the altitude levels which many cycli ...…

Today Roger is joined by a guest from Bristol to talk about the history of that famous port city at the west coast of England. Bristol This Wikipedia article about the city has detailed information about its history and the involvement in the slave trade. History of Slavery If you want to read up on how slavery has affected the world, have a lo ...…

A meadow turned over by wild boars triggers a chain of association that - via hunting - leads to Roger and Peter discussing gun "culture" in the U.S. and the different approaches in the U.K. and Germany in comparison. "The Gunning of America" A book by historian Pamela Haag that looks into how the American weapons' industry "implanted" society ...…

Have you ever wondered why the United Kingdom as one nation has four different national teams competing in international events? - Well Peter has, not only since three of them made it into the current European Championship. Roger fills him in about the reasons, which lie in the history of football (i.e. soccer, asSOCiation football) on the Brit ...…

Roger is back interviewing his brother Neil in the wake of the British EU referendum. Today they're looking into the special case of Northern Ireland and the sneaky influence media have had in the British decision. The Troubles A Wikipedia article on the background of the Northern Irish conflict, to read up on history, as Neil recommended. Debu ...…

Today Peter has a special guest to discuss the result of the British EU referendum. Neil Charlton, political scientist and British civil servant for many years joins this special episode to give us some highly up-to-date insights into what happened in Britain the other night. How did UK end up voting to leave the European Union? The first of th ...…

Today, we'll have another look at the EU-referendum, which is going to take place next week in the United Kingdom (on June 23rd). Roger has invited Dan back into the show and the two are discussing facets of the general public opinion, and they'll look into the possible consequences of a potential "BrExit". Information on the referendum The BBC ...…

Today, Roger has a guest over to discuss the upcoming referendum on the U.K.'s EU-membership. They talk about why the U.K. is going to take this decision now, and what the potential consequences might be. The 2016 referendum Find more information about the upcoming referendum on Wikipedia. The 1975 referendum Read about the first big referendum ...…

Finally it is done! And yes, this episode's title is quoting the second installment of the Matrix, but it is also meant literally: After LOADs of work in the last months we've managed to shift RoPeCast into a new era. We have RE-upLOADed all existing episodes to YouTube and also to this re-established 'classic' MP3 podcast. In this episode we c ...…

Ending our series on university austerity policy, we look into what really makes a difference to the success of a student. Is it what the Brits are discussing frequently these days, the so called 'contact hours' with a teacher? We'll let you know ...By ropecast@szsb.uni-saarland.de.

Austerity policy at university is the continuing topic of this episode, and the two hosts are discussing its effects. This time they focus on the consequences of increasing class size at university in order to save money. Is this a good approach? - Listen in now ...By ropecast@szsb.uni-saarland.de.

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